Charming and cheap

New Malden has a very distinct personality. For some unaccountable reason this small chunk of Surrey lying just north of the A3 is to all intents and purposes Korean. You'll find Korean supermarkets, travel agents, butchers, bakers and probably candlestick makers. There is also London's largest concentration of Korean restaurants, which ranges from Asadal (which verges on posh) to Yeon-Ji (which looks almost scruffy).

So it's no wonder that New Malden is also famous for the 'goings-on' during the last football World Cup. As the Korean team progressed further and further in the competition, so the normally reserved Koreans entered more and more into the spirit of things and before long there was dancing in the streets. Such outward displays of emotion do not seem to be a typically Korean trait, so perhaps some of the famed wild behaviour of Surrey is rubbing off. Korean restaurants tend to be more reserved places: friendly, clean and with polite staff, but they are quietly businesslike and hard to get to grips with - unless of course you are Korean, in which case it all must seem comforting and traditional.

You'll find the You-Me restaurant next to Hyung's Bakery (where there is a range of interesting cakes: look out for the honey cake if the shop is open when you call by) on Burlington Road. You-Me is a cosy and comfortable restaurant and each of the tables in the front dining room has a burner in its centre for 'barbecues' - meats griddled in front of you. There is a larger room to the rear of the establishment. The menu is not as impenetrable as it could be thanks to some fairly sound translations, but in the original some of the dishes are still a Scrabble player's delight. Such as Soepdangisangsamgyubsal, which sounds a good deal more exciting than 'fresh pork with sauce in a pot'.

Start by sharing a plate of dumplings: these are substantial and come with a dipping sauce. They contain minced pork and the fried ones are deliciously chewy. The yuk hae is also good, providing you're a fan of steak tartare --this is the Korean version and it teams raw beef with pear, a combo that works pretty well. Of the mains, the noodle dishes are something of a star turn. Jajung myan, which costs about £5, is a huge bowl of thick noodles in a black-bean sauce. If you wave your hands about and employ your best sign language, the waitress will bring a large pair of scissors to snip your noodles into manageable lengths, plunging the blades into your bowl in fine style.

The barbecue paraphernalia is good fun and you can have skate or ox tongue as well as more mundane but still delicious ingredients such as bulgogi (beef marinated in soy sauce). Another heartwarming, and thoroughly satisfying main course is the dwenjang chigae, which is a rich bean-paste stew served with an array of side dishes, such as kimchee (pickled Chinese leaves, heavy with chilli, garlic and salt), namul (a saucer of bean sprouts and a kind of spinach), strips of leathery tofu and a dish of rice. In the middle is the large bowl of stew with pork, tofu and potatoes.

On every table throughout the meal sits a small kettle containing poricha (roasted barley tea). At the start of the meal this very pale liquid tastes a bit bland, but as you progress it grows into the perfect accompaniment. A bowl of stew, with all the various side dishes, can still cost as little as £5. It would take a Korean scholar to work out a colloquial translation of 'a big bowl of rather cheap and hearty food', but if that is what you are after, the charming waitresses at the You-Me will be happy to arrange it for you.

You Me Korean Restaurant
Burlington Road, New Malden, KT3 4NT